Architect
Wendy Evans Josephs youngest clienther 16-year-old stepson,
Ethan Ravetchhas a budding interest in astronomy. At her husbands
suggestion, Joseph C77 built him an observatory, which she describes
as a marriage of sculptural form with practical science.

The observatory is designed as a garden pavilionboth a sculptural
object in the landscape and a window that frames the view to the
mountains beyond, writes Joseph, whose work has been featured
in the Gazette (Tweaked,
Not Trendy, November/ December 2000).

Unlike
many historical precedents which are solid masonry structures,
the building feels light and ephemeral. Encased by a lattice that
is activated by sunlight and shadow, it floats in the hay fields.
Yet the telescope itself, a 16-inch diameter Schmidt-Cassegrain,
is bolted to a two-foot concrete pier that rests directly on bedrock,
ensuring vibration-free viewing.

CLASS
OF 91Celebrating
CitiesNathaniel
Popkin C91 GCP95strides
purposefully down 8th Street in the Bella Vista section of South Philadelphia
on a sweaty September afternoon, extolling the arrival of both Mexicans
and their eateries to the neighborhood. When a brand-new fa┴ade catches
his eye, he does a double-take.Continued...

Photo
by Lauren Karp / DP

CLASS
OF 65Making
History in HarrisburgBuoyed
by his hometown popularity
and a $40 million campaign, the Hon. Ed Rendell C65 Hon00 in
November became the first Philadelphian to be elected Pennsylvanias
governor in 88 years. The former, two-term city mayor, a Democrat, won
53 percent of the vote in his contest against Republican Mike Fisher.
Continued...

CLASS
OF 01And
For Your Homework Assignment Led ZeppelinFor
Paul Green C01 rock
n roll isnt kid stuff.
But dont tell that to the more than 100 students, ranging in age from
seven to 18, who attend the burgeoning Philadelphia-based school of
rock music that bears his name. Continued...

CLASS
OF 85 A
Gift for Close-Knit CouplesPanicked
gift-buyers are
occasionally spotted at jewelry shops and department stores on the eve
of an anniversary or in the morning hours of a beloveds birthday. However,
online shoppers can relax and choose a present that is far more interactive
than neckties or necklaces: Smittens. Continued...

CLASS
OF 61Fugitive
Convicted for Ex-Girlfriends MurderIra
Einhorn C61, a counterculture
guru who fled the country two decades ago while awaiting trial for killing
his ex-girlfriend, will spend the rest of his life in prison. On October
17, after deliberating two and a half hours, a Philadelphia jury found
him guilty of first-degree murder. Judge William J. Mazzola called the
62-year-old Einhorn an intellectual dilettante who preyed on the uninitiated,
uninformed, unsuspecting, and inexperienced people. Continued...

Earth, Wind & Fire:
Upstate New York artist Sarah McCoubrey C79 GFA81 paints landscapes
that are neither developed nor purely natural, with a precise
intensity that turns her subjectssuch as Snooks Pond Estates
II (2002), featured in a recent exhibit at Philadelphias
Locks Galleryinto almost mystical scenes. Tremain Smith C85,
of West Philadelphia, represents the spirit world, working with
layers of beeswax and rich earth colors, and burning heated metal
objects into the wax and wood. Mystery 2000 resides in
the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.